Industry, Logistics & Shipping

Pratt & Whitney to power MEA's 11 A320neo aircraft

Pratt & Whitney, a division of United Technologies Corp, today announced that Lebanon-based Middle East Airlines (MEA) has selected the Pratt & Whitney Geared Turbofan (GTF) engine to power 11 firm Airbus A320neo family aircraft.

Pratt & Whitney will also provide Middle East Airlines with engine maintenance through an EngineWise service agreement.

The airline currently operates nine V2500-powered A320 family aircraft.

"Middle East Airlines consistently rejuvenates its fleet with the new generation of more fuel-efficient and quieter aircraft," said Mohamed A El-Hout, chairman, MEA. "The new GTF-powered A320neo family aircraft provides both."

"We are thrilled with MEA's selection of the GTF engine for their A320neo fleet," said Rick Deurloo, senior vice president of sales, marketing and customer support at Pratt & Whitney. "We've been working with the airline and supporting them with our V2500 engines and we look forward to powering their continued success for years to come."

Since entering into service in early 2016, the GTF engine has demonstrated its promised ability to reduce fuel burn by 16 per cent, to reduce NOx emissions by 50 per cent to the regulatory standard and to lower the noise footprint by 75 per cent.